On the ninth day of October in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, in the afternoon, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. The white snow in the wilderness reflected a dazzling light under the sunlight.
The original Qing army garrison in the west of Jinzhou City is now empty. If it weren't for the raised snowdrifts everywhere, you wouldn't be able to tell that this was once a camp where tens of thousands of troops were stationed.
However, from here to the north and west, there are dozens of lightly snowed roads that continue to extend forward. It seems that this is the route the Qing army took when they retreated.
Many Xuanfu army soldiers wore white cloaks and rode on white horses along these roads where the snow was slightly thinner than elsewhere, tracking all the way to the west and north.
It has been confirmed that the Qing army took advantage of the heavy snow to retreat, but the whereabouts of the tens of thousands of Qing troops must be clearly investigated. If they really retreated and fell, it would be easy to say.
But if he took advantage of the heavy snow weather and the inconvenience of sentry inspection, he moved his troops to lie dormant near the Ming army. If the Ming army relaxed their vigilance because of this, wouldn't they be playing into their plan?
It wasn't until the evening of that day that the sentries from all walks of life came back one after another. According to their reports, they tracked the location of the northwest corner tower of Jinzhou. There was still no trace of the Qing army, but it seemed that their retreat route still extended to the north.
No end in sight.
The Xuanfu army sentry cavalry who went west to explore reported that the footprints of the Qing army's retreating troops extended all the way to the west section of Xiaoling River and crossed the pontoon bridge. They stayed up all night because they were afraid of Qing troops stationed on the other side, so they did not dare to cross the pontoon bridge to investigate.
Although it is still not possible to detect the specific movements of the Qing army and its whereabouts cannot be clearly grasped, it is completely certain that Dorgon, Daishan and others in the west of Jinzhou City must have retreated.
In fact, the Ming army is also in a very difficult situation at the moment. This heavy snowfall came too suddenly. Only a few generals and their servants in each battalion of the Ming army have cotton-padded jackets and jackets. However, ordinary sergeants are still wearing single clothes as before.
.
How could they resist the biting cold wind like this? They all hid in military tents or dug out snow nests to avoid the wind and cold.
The officers and soldiers of each battalion of the Ming army who went out on guard gathered around piles of bonfires, as well as the patrol sergeants. They were fortunate enough to be able to take turns wearing the meager cotton-padded jackets when they went out on patrol.
However, now that the snow has stopped and the wind has stopped, it doesn't feel as heavy as the snow. The coldness of the north wind howling is still somewhat manageable.
Although cotton-padded clothes had been delivered to Songshan Fort from Ningyuan and Gaoqiao before, they were not able to be sent to the Jinzhou front line for a while. Although there were some cotton-padded clothes in stock in Songshan Fort, the quantity was limited, and each battalion only received some.
Not enough to wear.
It can be said that "winter has arrived"!
It was the most difficult moment for the armies of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The battle now was no longer about who could kill more of the other side's troops and thereby defeat the other side.
But it’s time to compete to see who can persevere better, persevering in the howling north wind, persevering in the freezing snowy night, persevering in the hunger and cold caused by insufficient food and grain.
The battle is no longer about killing and injuring the opponent's troops, but about who is more patient, whose endurance is longer, and who can last until the end. If you persist until the end, you will win!
At present, although the Qing army has withdrawn early, it does not dare to conclude that the Ming army must have won.
Because the Qing army may have been short of food, they withdrew and went to feed elsewhere. Once they had rested and recuperated, they could still fight back to Jinzhou City at any time.
What's more, there are still soldiers and horses of the Qing army stationed in the north and east of Jinzhou City. They guard the defensive line composed of three trenches and low walls. Even if there are not many soldiers and horses now, it is not easy to attack the ground covered with heavy snow.
…………
Two miles south of Jinzhou City, inside the north gate of Tucheng, there were several stoves burning brightly in the temporary residence of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and the steaming heat was blowing towards his face. It seemed like a world apart from the cold outside.
All the generals of the Xuan army gathered here, including Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, Chen Jiugao, the commander-in-chief of the Shenji camp, and Cao Bianjiao, the commander-in-chief of the ASEAN army, all came from afar.
But Zu Dashou did not appear in the governor's palace. He was replaced by deputy general Zu Dabi. Everyone speculated that Zu Dashou must have been injured, so he sent his younger brother to attend the military meeting on his behalf.
The great eunuch Wang Chengen has also arrived at the front line of Tucheng, and Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Empress Palace in Songshan Fort, has also come to Tucheng with Zhang Dou, the Ningqian soldier, to take over the defense of the Xiaoling River mouth. To Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province.
Only the governor of Liaodong, Qiu Minyang, who was sitting on the south bank of the Xiaoling River, did not dare to leave because of the confrontation with Shuotuo's Manchurian Zhenghong Banner, and the deputy envoy of the Yongping Military Road and Inspection Department of Shandong Province, Yao Gong, and the former garrison commander Wang Tingchen. They were still stationed on the south bank of the Nuerhe River, but they were unable to come to Tucheng.
On the bonfire in the camp hall were large iron pots, in which mutton and horse meat were stewed, as well as a pot of ginseng chicken soup. Although Liaodong was a bitterly cold place, it was the only wild ginseng that was not lacking.
Of course, some big radishes were also put into those pots of mutton. Apart from ginseng chicken soup, mutton radish is the most useful for winter nourishment.
The governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, and the eunuch Wang Chengen sat side by side at the top. Naturally, Wen and Wu were on the left and right below. There was a small table in front of each person, with wine, meat, chicken soup, and mutton soup on it.
Since the arrival of Wang Chengen, the status of General Commander Zhang Ruoqi has plummeted, and he has lost the qualification to sit at the top alongside Hong Chengchou, Governor of Jiliao.
Although he was a little unhappy in his heart, he still had to show willingness on the surface. After all, even he did not dare to offend the beardless man above him.
All the officials and officials gathered here tonight, naturally they are here for the retreat of the Qing army.
Seeing that the Qing army was retreating, some voices began to appear in each camp, saying that now that the Tatars had retreated, they were still staying here to suffer from hunger and cold, and there was a hint of reluctance in them.
Li Song, a close aide of Hong Chengchou, Governor of Jiliao, had just briefly introduced the current situation to everyone. Although the information about the movements of the Qing army came from the Xuanfu army's night-time inspections.
However, the civil and military forces present here are all very convinced of the ability of the Xuanfu army's sentry cavalry, and naturally they have no objections. The focus of the question now is where should the Ming army's battalions go?
The officials and generals had already argued for a while, and they all agreed that they had finally marched to the gates of Jinzhou City and should not retreat easily. But now the north wind was blowing hard, and many of the soldiers had no cotton clothes to protect themselves, so it was very hard to camp in the wild.
The Tatar army has retreated, and even if it might come again, it would still take time to march and build a camp. Therefore, someone proposed to withdraw some of the troops and horses and return to the old camp near Songshan to garrison. This would not only greatly reduce the pressure on the transportation of grain and grass, but also greatly reduce the pressure on the soldiers. They can also take a break.
For example, the commander-in-chief Chen Jiugao, Wang Pu and others had this idea. Lian Bingxian Zhang Dou and the Procuratorate Yao Gong also strongly supported this idea. However, which town's soldiers and horses were left to garrison outside Jinzhou City became the focus of today's issue.
Zhang Cheng sat in the first place on the right, but he never participated in the discussion. He drank and ate meat by himself, and took a sip of chicken soup from time to time. He especially loved the stewed radish in the mutton bowl.
The same goes for Wu Sangui, who is sitting below him. He doesn't seem to care much about what everyone is talking about, as if he is confident. He chats with Zhang Cheng from time to time, but seems not interested in other people.
"Ahem."
Suddenly, the sound of Hong Chengchou coughing was heard from the top position. Naturally, everyone knew that this was the prelude to the governor's speech, and they all stopped talking. Even Zhang Cheng put down the wine bowl in his hand and raised his eyes to look at Hong Chengchou.
Under the attention of everyone, Hong Chengchou said slowly: "Although the slaves have temporarily retreated, they can still arrive at any time, and their specific whereabouts are not yet known. An army must be left outside Jinzhou City to assist with the city's defense.
"
When he said this, his eyes immediately turned to the generals on the right below. Zhang Cheng and Wu Sangui generally disagreed. Cao Bianjiao also remained calm, but the eyes of Wang Pu and Chen Jiugao were erratic, fearing that Hong Chengchou would choose them to lead the army.
Stay.
After Hong Chengchou glanced around, his eyes stopped on Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment. Wu Sangui had such a smart mind, and his eyes showed what Hong Chengchou meant.
He stood up and clasped his fists and said to Hong Chengchou: "Director Hong, Sangui is willing to lead the troops of Ningyuan Town and stay outside Jinzhou City."
After Hong Chengchou listened to Wu Sangui's words, although his facial expression remained unchanged, he gave Wu Sangui full marks in his heart. He turned to look at Wang Chengen and said: "General Wu of Ningyuan requested to stay in Jinzhou to prevent the slave thieves from returning.
.What does the prince like?"
Wang Chengen did not drink and eat meat like everyone else. There was only a pot of tea and a few exquisite pastries on the table next to him. After hearing Hong Chengchou's inquiry, he picked up the teacup and said lightly: "This military strategy expert
Our family doesn’t understand the matter very well, so Governor Hong can make his own decision.”
After he finished speaking, he took a sip of tea, then looked at Wu Sangui, and said: "General Chang Bo took the initiative to ask for a royal tassel, which shows his loyalty and diligence in the king's affairs. Let's record it here for now, and we will report it when we return to the capital.
Your Majesty knows."
At this time, Wang Chengen coughed a few more times, cleared his throat, and then continued: "The emperor is most worried about the Jinzhou matter. We, the Ming Dynasty's troops who can and dare to fight, have all gathered here, and we have mobilized the country's money and food to support the crisis in Liaodong.
.
If this battle cannot be won, the court's money and food will be wasted, and troops and generals will be lost. How will we survive in this world?
Fortunately, all the officials and generals sacrificed their lives and fought bravely in front of the battle line, so we were able to repel the slave thieves, arrive at the gate of Jinzhou City, and break the siege of Jinzhou. The imperial court's efforts to raise money and food were not in vain, which is enough to comfort the Holy Heart."
He paused for a moment before continuing: "Our family will keep your performance in mind. If you have contributed to the country, your achievements will naturally not be buried. When we return to the capital, we will report them one by one.
Your Majesty knows."
After Wang Chengen finished speaking, he no longer cared about what everyone was doing and drank tea by himself.
When Hong Chengchou saw that he had finished speaking, he said to the generals: "General Chang Bo has asked himself to be stationed at the gate of Jinzhou City to relieve the country's worries. I am deeply pleased and should gather enough cotton clothes for the Ningyuan soldiers to protect them from the cold winter."
In fact, the soldiers of each battalion in Liao Town already had cotton-padded clothes, but they were temporarily unable to transport them. However, this time Wu Sangui stole the show. At least in the heart of the great eunuch Wang Chengen, Wu Sangui's status has been highlighted.
Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, stopped at Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, and continued to ask everyone: "However, the pontoon bridge on the Xiaoling River is the lifeblood of Jinzhou. It is the link between Songshan and Jinzhou, so it cannot be missed."
How could Zhang Cheng not know what he meant? The reason why he did not express his position on staying in Jinzhou was actually because he did not want to compete with Wu Sangui for this position.
In this battle to aid the Liao Dynasty, the Xuanfu army led by Zhang Cheng made many military exploits. Especially in the battles of Changling Mountain and Gaoqiao to aid, they not only killed and wounded many Tatar thieves, but also beheaded the slave thief Prince Duduo of Yu.
, it can be said to be the first of its kind!
Now, in the battle to cross the river to relieve the siege of Jinzhou, it was his Xuanfu army that was the first to attack Jinzhou City and drive away the slave thieves. Naturally, it was his Xuanfu army that played the first role in relieving the siege of Jinzhou.
It can be said that among the armies that aided the Liao Dynasty, the Xuanfu Army led by Zhang Cheng was the most outstanding one. Not only did it take the lead in aiding the Liao Dynasty, it was also the only one who was promoted in the battle to aid the Liao Dynasty.
It was only him, Zhang Cheng'er.
Therefore, Zhang Cheng was not very concerned about staying outside Jinzhou City. Another reason was that Wu Sangui was the nephew of his ancestor, and he should be the one to stay behind Jinzhou City both in public and private matters.
But now Governor Hong Chengchou's intention was very obvious, and Zhang Cheng could not completely avoid it, but he just sat on his seat and did not get up to reply like Wu Sangui.
"Supervisor, Zhang Cheng is willing to lead the troops of the Xuan Mansion to guard the pontoon bridge on the Xiaoling River for my Jin army to ensure that the passage between Songshan and Jinzhou is not lost."
Seeing Zhang Cheng actually volunteering to stay by the Xiaoling River to guard the pontoon, Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, was most uneasy. He had been tied to Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu soldiers and horses, but now Zhang Cheng actually volunteered to stay and guard the pontoon. What could he do?
Can you not panic.
I originally thought that after two days of hard fighting, my troops were exhausted, so I thought of taking the opportunity to retreat outside Songshan Fort so that the soldiers of the battalions in Datong Town could rest in peace for some time.
But now he was looking at Zhang Cheng from a distance with bitter eyes, but he didn't dare to say a word, for fear of being reminded of the words that had been shining brightly before to declare the unity of the university.
However, Wang Pu was obviously more worried, and no one had any intention of taking him with him. They only listened to Governor Hong Chengchou say: "Okay. Zhongchen is worthy of the title of 'the most loyal and brave, the best among the three armies'. Not only
On the battlefield, you stand up and strive to be the first, and you are brave and invincible.
Not only are you on the military strategy, but your suggestions are always original, and you can take the overall situation into consideration. I am very optimistic about you."
Zhang Cheng smiled slightly, clasped his fists and replied: "The governor has given me too much praise. Zhang Cheng is just doing his duty. All he wants in his heart is to repay the emperor's favor and he doesn't dare to think about anything else."
The great eunuch Wang Chengen couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at Zhang Cheng, but saw that his eyebrows were lowered and his eyes were submissive, without any trace of pretense. He couldn't help but nodded slightly and thought to himself: The emperor has indeed seen this Zhang Cheng correctly!
Even Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, was very satisfied with Zhang Cheng's answer. A rare smile appeared on his usually calm face, and he said to Zhang Cheng: "Don't worry, loyal. Your Xuanfu officers and soldiers are stationed by the Xiaoling River. I am the governor."
We will provide cotton-padded clothes for the soldiers to keep out the cold."
Zhang Cheng just smiled and thanked him, but did not mention that he had shipped a batch of cotton clothes from Xuan Mansion!